Car Chassis
 

so i went to the track this week and was talking to a mechanic buddy of mine. i was talking to him about swapping a K series into my EM2, blah blah blah... but anyways, we got to talking about the chassis of the EM2. i know its not a very popular car amongst tuners, but he said that our chassis isnt very good for road racing (the event i was running). i asked him why and he said that the body is not as strong/rigid as previous generations. he said the 7th gen SI (hatchback) was especially disappointing to owners who road race it. does this mean that the RSX is also not as good of a chassis to road race, etc.? essentially the RSX and the 7th gen civic is the same body right?

i know its the driver that makes the difference in how a car performs (mostly), but i'm talking strictly about the chassis of the EM2. anyone have opinions?

The problem with this car isnt with its chassis, its the suspension design... specificly how it was implimented (other car companys have had great success with struts...)

But strictly regarding the chassis... never had a problem with flex, the strut towers are mounted tight with the fire wall (compair it to a BMW's...) makeing them flex less. and the multi link rear is pretty good (we actually have a better design then the older civics, toe is much easier to adjust)

The chassis is stiffer (which is why the car weighs more), but the suspension geometry sucks. the body of the newer cars is much more rigid, if you can figure out the suspension, no one really has, then you can go have a good time. The big advantage is the K series torque, which is why you see even a lot of the older cars doing K swaps.... the motors make much more power, which is also why the K cars have to suffer the weight penalty (I think its 200 extra lbs in H1).

so does the same thinking go for the EP3 Hatchback and the current RSXs?

its essentially the same car underneath. The EP3 looks like an egg, the rsx looks like a wedge and the coupe looks like a car with a fat ass. Structurally, its really the same car.